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Palestinian women complain of IPS security checks

Two women visiting loved ones held in Israeli prison say were asked to undress as part of 'humiliating' security check; decided to give up on visit instead. Israel Prison Service spokesman says no change in policy

Two Palestinian women visiting their loved ones held in an Israeli prison, have complained of the stringent physical checks they were asked to undergo at the prison, including demands to undress.

 

The women, one visiting her husband and the other visiting her son, told Ynet on Monday that in their recent visit to the prison, they were ordered to undress for inspection by a female warden.

 

They said this was the first time they were asked to do so, and that previously, security checks were carried out using the metal detector.

 

"I'm not talking so much about who can see, although the curtain doesn't close hermetically, but the feeling is humiliating, and so I would rather not visit my son than undergo this degrading check," Huda Farraj, whose son Yasin is held in an Israeli prison, told Ynet.

 

Farraj said a relative of hers who was there visiting her husband also chose to skip the visit due to the humiliation security check.

 

"I don't know what's changed in the last months since my son was arrested, I go through the metal detector and I don't see any security reason for this when the visit itself is done under the watchful eyes of the prison guards with a glass wall separating me from my son and the whole conversation being held using a telephone receiver," she said.

 

"There is no explanation and no justification for this humiliation that we have been forced to undergo lately," she added.

 

It should be noted that four months ago, an attempted stabbing attack took place at Ofer Prison when a Palestinian youth came to visit a security prisoner, pulled out a large knife during a security check and tried to stab the prison guard examining her.

 

Guards managed to overpower her before she was able to harm anyone.

 

Israel Prison Service spokesman Yaron Zamir said in response, "Upon entry to the prison, meticulous checks are carried out according to security instruction. There have been no changes in the security instructions in the recent period."

 

Raanan Ben-Zur contributed to this report

 


פרסום ראשון: 08.24.09, 17:00
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